'We're a team': Couple opens Guiding House therapy in Jackson

JACKSON TWP. − Psychologist Matt Paris and licensed clinical counselor and life coach Janelle Paris are not only married, they're founding partners of The Guiding House, a new clinical therapy practice at 4429 Fulton Drive NW.

The couple opened Guiding House on Dec. 1 to offer a full range of mental health services, including screening, clinical therapy for adults and children 12 and older; testing for ADHD and fitness for duty; play therapy; compassionate care for seniors; and executive and educational coaching.

The Parises said that after years of working in various separate practices, the goal was to have their own.

"We were working a ton of hours," Janelle Paris said. "We wanted to be genuine and we wanted to care about our own mental health, too. We felt it like it would be more genuine and authentic for us to be able to work together as a team, and we'll be able to have better client care ... and that hospitality means a lot to us."

The Guiding House also offers telehealth services, and recently added Q Interactive, a new, cutting-edge form of testing that employs virtual reality.

"It will expose people to things they might have a phobia of, for example, if they're afraid to drive, as in the case of a lot of teenagers," Janelle Paris said. "We want to meet them where they're at, and help them. So, exposing them to what they're afraid of helps calm the brain, and helps us, so we're really excited about that."

Matt Paris said it is one of only a few practices in Northeast Ohio that offers Q Interactive screening.

'You can have Jesus and a therapist'

As people of faith, the couple say The Guiding House is a safe place for people of all beliefs − or no beliefs.

"We definitely allow people to share their thoughts and beliefs," said Janelle Paris, who added that the idea of going a therapist does not negate a person's faith.

"You can have Jesus and a therapist," she said with a laugh. "You go to medical doctor if you have a problem that you can't solve through your faith. God put people on earth to help people. We're not trying to change someone's belief system, but if they are clinically depressed, and many of the people that I'm seeing now have reached out to their faith and haven't fond results."

Paris said that while women initially tend to seek out help, men make excellent clients once they buy into it.

Janelle Paris noted that everything about the human brain is wired for connection.

"And one of the things that I've noticed is when people are depressed, sometimes it is because of that lack of connection, and counseling can help with that," she said.

Matt Paris, who has been in practice for about 13 years, said that while life in America has its blessings, it also can be difficult on a number of levels.

The couple said the social isolation and other residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to life becoming more stressful and complicated.

"When you factor just everything that people are going through, it's a very stressful time," Matt Paris said. "A lot of people are working more hours and and spending less time with their loved ones. We talk about that disconnection and those relationships, which could impact your level of stress. If your loved ones aren't connected to you that might cause some problems."

The Parises said social media has heightened awareness of and has helped normalize the need for mental health services, but they caution it should be used in moderation because it can trigger some addictive behaviors.

"It can bring humor into dark places; it can bring a sense of connection in some ways," Janelle Paris said. "And it also can bring false information and maybe a false sense of connection where people really do need to get together in person, or develop more of a deep, real relationship."

An increase in telehealth services

"We've had so many people say 'Relationships in our family were ruined because of social media.' I have so many people that come in and say, 'You know, I feel so much better after I stopped looking at Facebook.' So, I think social media has really helped with the awareness of mental health."

He said mental health support groups on social media have been helpful to some people, including teens who struggle with social skills.

Janelle Paris said one blessing that did come out of COVID is the increased acceptance of telehealth services in the mental health field.

The couple says telehealth now constitutes about 25% of their practice.

"I signed up to help first responders during the pandemic; it was very different for us," she said. "We weren't necessarily trained to do it, and it wasn't (approved), but in the state of emergency, we were able to do it and got to be so helpful. So now we can reach teenagers who might be very comfortable on FaceTime, or people with specific things like agoraphobia who don't want to leave their homes, or even people who are at work and their work is now allowing them to have counseling sessions, and paying for them."

Matt Paris said the industry has grown to realize that people need such services.

"The isolation, the stress and maybe financial concerns, and the uncertainty of the future has amped up anxiety; there's just a lot you have to multi-task with, and I don't know if our brains are quipped to do that," he said. " So, eventually you're not going to meet maybe your expectations, how you respond to that is going to determine maybe if we develop anxiety."

The couple, who have been called to court to offer expert testimony, said their goal is to provide a safe place.

"The most important thing is that people leave here feeling that that they're cared about, and they have direction and hope," Janelle Paris said. "You want to be a safe place for them to be able to come in a talk about the hard things that maybe they don't feel comfortable talking about with others. We want them to see the value they have."

Matt Paris said they hope to hire more staff. A third clinical counselor, Rachel L. Long, specializes in trauma and a form of psychotherapy known as EDMR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

"We want to give them better opportunities than some therapists have in the field," he said. "We're going to continue to try to find the best way to help people. Our environment is so different from other places."

Matt Paris said working with his wife has been an ideal arrangement.

"The stress of business is probably similar to parenting," he said. "You have to make decisions; somebody might look at something in a different way, and that's OK. You have to compromise. So, I look at it as this great opportunity to see her more, even though we might have a lot that we're doing, and we might not get to see each other, but just knowing she's in the other room. After so many years of not having that opportunity, it's just amazing."

To learn more, visit them on Facebook, visit https://www.guidinghouse.com/ or call 330-778-2919.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Couple opens Guiding House therapy in Jackson Township